Authgear vs Dex
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted identity & sso options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Authgear
Open-source authentication and user management server
VS
Dex
OpenID Connect identity provider with pluggable connectors
| Feature | Authgear | Dex |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 86 · Excellent | 90 · Excellent |
| Category | Identity & SSO | Identity & SSO |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Go | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes | docker, kubernetes, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,061 | ★ 11,112 |
| First released | 2021 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Auth0, Firebase Auth | Okta, Auth0 |
What are Authgear and Dex?
Authgear
Authgear is an open-source authentication-as-a-service platform supporting passwordless login, social login, and multi-factor authentication. It is self-hosted to provide identity for web and mobile apps.
- Passwordless and social login
- Built-in MFA
- User management dashboard
- OIDC compliant
Dex
Dex is an identity service that uses OpenID Connect to drive authentication for other applications. It acts as a portal to other identity providers through connectors such as LDAP, SAML and GitHub.
- OIDC federation broker
- Connectors for LDAP, SAML and GitHub
- Popular in Kubernetes environments
- Lightweight and stateless
Authgear vs Dex: key differences
Both projects are written in Go. Dex is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Authgear. Dex is the more established project (first released 2016), while Authgear arrived in 2021. Dex has the considerably larger community, at 11,112 GitHub stars versus 2,061.
Why pick each one
Choose Authgear if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Active community (2.1k GitHub stars)
Choose Dex if…
- Great Kubernetes integration
- Simple and reliable
Watch out for
- No user management of its own
Frequently asked questions
Is Authgear or Dex better?
Dex is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Authgear if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Authgear and Dex free and open-source?
Yes. Authgear is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Dex under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Authgear and Dex with Docker?
Authgear: yes. Dex: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Authgear or Dex?
Dex has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Authgear. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.